The Dormition of the Virgin
Jacques Juliot French
In keeping with apocryphal accounts of the Dormition, the Apostles have gathered around the Virgin’s deathbed. Closest to her stands Saint John the Evangelist, holding a palm branch; beside him, Saint Peter conducts the service, cradling a book in his arms. Another apostle leans over the foot of the bed to sprinkle holy water; the figure behind him, swinging an incense burner, may be Saint Andrew. While the classically inspired setting is characteristic of the new Renaissance style, the figures’ voluminous draperies with deep folds reflect an older, Flemish tradition. The panel was likely made for a church altarpiece, possibly one executed for the monastery at Larrivour (near Troyes) and subsequently dismantled.
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